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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

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Researching racial equity: Building capacity for research and practice

Noreen Giga, Racial Equity Project Lead, and Damon Jones, J-PAL affiliated professor (University of Chicago) and Scientific Advisor for J-PAL North America’s Racial Equity Project, reflect on J-PAL North America’s work to advance rigorous research on racial equity to date and discuss priorities for...

Celebrating a decade of the AEA RCT Registry

The AEA RCT Registry serves as a central repository for information on planned, ongoing, completed, or withdrawn randomized trials in the social sciences. We're celebrating it's tenth anniversary by using the wealth of data (updated every month in the AEA Registry Dataverse) from ten years of...
Two students look at a computer screen

Researching racial equity: Administrative data bias

In part six of J-PAL North America’s researching racial equity blog series, we identify sources of bias in administrative data and describe these within the educational context.
Cars and trucks drive on a highway in a city surrounded by smog

Evaluating effectiveness and equity in climate mitigation and transportation policy: A webinar recap

In December 2023, J-PAL North America’s Leveraging Evaluation and Evidence for Equitable Recovery (LEVER) program hosted a webinar in collaboration with Results for America highlighting how state and local jurisdictions can use randomized evaluation to accelerate climate action and tap into federal...
Children sitting in front of computers

J-PAL North America joins the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to improve math outcomes for middle school students

In October 2023, J-PAL North America joined the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to support organizations evaluating learning products that harness AI and machine learning to improve middle school math achievement.
Paul Niehaus speaking into a microphone

Rigorously evaluating cash transfer programs in the United States: Perspectives from other contexts

J-PAL affiliated researcher Paul Niehaus (UC San Diego) shares his perspective on studies of cash transfers in low- and middle-income countries and on how the United States can learn from other contexts.
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Leonardo Shibata, J-PAL LAC '16, on the evolution of impact evaluation in Brazil

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In our Alumni Spotlight series, we explore the journeys of former J-PAL members who have continued to contribute to policy and research in various fields. Leonardo Shibata, a former J-PAL LAC Research and Training Manager in Brazil, now works at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He reflects...
Esther Duflo, J-PAL co-founder and director and professor at MIT, with Julie Cobill, ESG and corporate partnerships lead at J-PAL, during the keynote dialogue session.

The private sector’s role in worker well-being, sustainability, and inclusive growth: Reflections from researchers and businesses

What is the role of the private sector in improving the lives and livelihood conditions of workers in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs)? How can we empower LMIC-based entrepreneurs to develop successful and sustainable businesses? And what are the potential benefits for businesses from...